September 28, 2003, 02:53
Jerry TreimanE.Howard & Co. J-size
As a collector of 12-size watches I have been looking for a long time for a nice, complete example of E.Howard's J-size, the first 12-size watch marketed for men in this country. Elgin and Waltham had a few odd listed 12-size watches in the 1860s and '70s, but I believe that these were just large ladies watches during that era when a man's watch was primarily 18-size. It wasn't until 1892 that E. Howard offered a new watch "for gentlemen", "very thin, of small size, beautifully proportioned". [Waltham made their first "1894-model" 12-size movement in 1896 and Elgin followed a year later]. This "J" size has a particularly nice finish which made it difficult to capture both the markings and the damasceening in one photo. [Thanks Clint].
Beautiful watch. 